Bottle cell with lining for a cleaning machine

ABSTRACT

A bottle cell of metal for use in a bottle cleaning apparatus, wherein the bottle cell comprises a lining which is preferably made of plastics.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application claims the benefit of priority of GermanApplication No. 102009021295.7, filed May 14, 2009. The entire text ofthe priority application is incorporated herein by reference in itsentirety.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE:

The present disclosure refers to a bottle cell of metal for use in abottle cleaning apparatus.

BACKGROUND

To clean bottles made of glass or plastics, such as PET, in a cleaningmachine, the bottles are slid into a bottle cell positioned on a bottlecell carrier, and are transported through the cleaning machine. Bottlecells made either of metal or of plastics are known from the prior art.

FIG. 1 shows, for instance, a cross section of such a conventionalbottle cell 120 of metal with a bottle neck receiving means 100. Thebottle neck receiving means 100 is configured such that during thecleaning process it loosely holds a bottle in the area of its openingwith the head upside down.

In particular, the bottle cell 120 has a bottle receiving side or an end122 provided at the bottle receiving side as well as a head-sided end121. The bottle 130 is slid into the bottle cell 120 via the bottlereceiving side 122. The bottle neck receiving means 100, which normallyprotects the bottle in the area of its opening during transport throughthe cleaning machine against damage, is positioned on the head-sided end121 of the bottle cell 120. This, however, is not applicable to thebottle body. As a rule, the bottle 130 does not completely fill theinterior of the bottle cell 120 on the one hand and, consequently, isspaced apart at a certain distance 140 from the inside of the bottlecell 120 of metal. Since, on the other hand, the bottle is not fixed inthe area of its opening in the bottle neck receiving means, it can movein the bottle cell and thereby get into contact with the metal of thebottle cell 120 while being transported through the cleaning machine.

Furthermore, when the bottle is inserted into or removed from the bottlecell, it may get into contact with the metal. Due to the metal contactthe bottle body may get damaged.

The drawbacks of the bottle cells made of plastics are that they areless robust with respect to the bottle cells of metal and show lessstability. Wear in bottle cells made of plastics is high. Parts, e.g.broken glass, may get embedded in the plastic material and then damagebottles. The bottle cells of plastics must be exchanged frequently.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

Faced with the drawbacks of the prior art, it is the object of thepresent disclosure to avoid said drawbacks. On the one hand, damage tothe bottle to be cleaned due to contact of the bottle body with themetal of the bottle cell shall be prevented. On the other hand, thebottle cells should be stable so that they need not be exchanged sooften.

The bottle cell of metal according to the disclosure comprises a liningthat is preferably made of plastics.

The lining may here line the bottle cell completely or partly. Thelining must be configured such that contact between bottle body andmetal of the bottle cell is avoided.

The lining of the bottle cell is preferably made of plastics. As analternative, however, other materials may also be used as long as it isensured that bottles do not get damaged if in permanent contact withsaid material.

Both during insertion of the bottle into the bottle cell and duringsubsequent movements of the bottle in the bottle cell in the cleaningprocess and also during removal from the bottle cell, the bottle doesnot get into contact with the metal of the bottle cell owing to thelining.

According to a preferred development of the above-described disclosurethe lining can be fastened in the bottle cell in a permanent way, sothat the lining cannot be removed from the bottle cell. This has theadvantage that the stability of the bottle cell is increased in that thelining and the bottle cell form a fixed unit.

According to a further preferred development of the above-describeddisclosure the lining can be fastened in the bottle cell such that thelining can be removed. This has the advantage that already existingbottle cells in cleaning machines can be easily retrofitted in that thelining can be used and exchanged again.

According to a further preferred development of the above-describeddisclosure the lining is configured such that the bottle cell is linedall over the surface in the interior of the cell. This has the advantagethat the bottle cell can receive bottles of different sizes. Thereceived bottle will only contact the lining, but not the metal of thebottle cell.

According to a further preferred development of the above-describeddisclosure the lining can line the bottle cell only in part and may beconfigured such that it comprises at least three webs that are providedsuch that they extend in the bottle cell in the longitudinal directionthereof. The term extending in longitudinal direction means in thepresent context that the webs can extend from the head-sided end of thebottle cell towards the end of the bottle cell provided at the bottlereceiving side. The at least three webs must be arranged in the interiorof the bottle cell such that a contact between bottle body and metal ofthe bottle cell is avoided despite a possible movement of the bottle inthe bottle cell.

The number of three webs should here represent a minimum number, so thatany contact between bottle and metal of the bottle cell is prevented.Especially with round bottle cells the number of the webs may be three.The number of webs may also be greater than three, particularly four, toprevent contact between bottle and side walls of the bottle cell forinstance in the case of square or octagonal bottle cells. The advantageof this further preferred development of the above-described disclosureis that the lining is made more efficient in that material is saved.

According to a further preferred development of the above-describeddisclosure the at least three webs may be provided such that they arepositioned in the bottle cell on the side surface of said cell. Withthis development the webs are in contact with the metal of the sidesurface of the bottle cell. This has the advantage that the webs do notbreak when loaded.

According to a further preferred development of the above-describeddisclosure the at least three webs can be provided such that they extendover the whole longitudinal direction of the bottle cell. In thisdevelopment the webs extend from the head-sided end of the bottle cellup to the end of the bottle cell provided at the bottle receiving side.Since the position of the center of gravity of the bottle can vary alongthe longitudinal direction of the bottle cell, contact between bottleand metal of the bottle cell is thereby prevented in principle duringmovements of the bottle in the bottle cell. This has the advantage thatthe bottle cell can receive bottles of different sizes and the lining ismade more efficient.

According to another preferred development of the above-describeddisclosure a fastening means may be provided on at least one of the websfor fastening the lining to the end of the bottle cell provided at thebottle receiving side. For instance, such a fastening means may consistof a groove into which the bottle receiving edge of the bottle cell canbe slid. Since the lining is fastened by means of the fastening means toat least one of the webs on the end of the bottle cell provided at thebottle receiving side, a form closure is created that prevents asituation where the lining gets detached due to the movements of thebottle inside the bottle cell. This has the advantage that the lining isfastened in the bottle cell.

Preferably, in such a development a fastening means may be provided oneach of the webs for fastening the lining to the end of the bottle cellprovided at the bottle receiving side. This has the advantage that thestability of the lining is further increased because the intrinsicmovement of the webs towards the metal of the bottle cell and away fromthe metal is suppressed.

According to another preferred development of the above-describeddisclosure the fastening means can be provided such that the at leastthree webs can be prestressed from the head-sided end of the bottle cellto the end of the bottle cell provided at the bottle receiving side.Upon loading the webs will not flex. This has the advantage that thewebs do not break.

According to a further preferred development of the above-describeddisclosure the bottle cell may be provided on its end at the bottlereceiving side with at least one notch adapted to receive a projection.

According to a further preferred development of the above-describeddisclosure a projection which is adapted to engage into the notch on theend of the bottle cell provided at the bottle receiving side is formedon the fastening means on the at least one of said webs. The lining isthereby fixed, and a movement of the webs along the bottle receivingedge of the bottle cell is suppressed. This offers the advantage of anenhanced stability of the lining.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Preferred embodiments of the present disclosure shall be describedhereinafter with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional view of a bottle cell according to theprior art.

FIG. 2 is a schematic sectional view of a bottle cell according to afifth embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a schematic sectional view of a bottle cell according to aseventh embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a schematic illustration showing a top view on the bottlereceiving side of the bottle cell shown in FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a schematic illustration of a lining according to an eighthembodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 6 is a schematic illustration of an end of a bottle cell providedat the bottle receiving side and of part of the lining according to aninth embodiment of the disclosure.

DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

According to one embodiment (not shown) a prior-art bottle cell, as ise.g. shown in FIG. 1, is lined all over the surface. The lining is heremade of plastics.

According to a second embodiment (not shown) of the disclosure thelining is permanently fastened in the bottle cell.

According to a third embodiment (not shown) of the disclosure the liningis fastened in the bottle cell such that the lining can be removed.

According to a fourth embodiment (not shown) of the disclosure thelining is configured such that the bottle cell is lined all over thesurface in the interior of the cell.

According to a fifth embodiment of the disclosure the bottle cell islined in part, as shown in FIG. 2. In comparison with the prior art thebottle cell 220 has a lining comprising webs 210 extending in thelongitudinal direction of the bottle cell 220. In this embodiment thewebs 210 are spaced apart from the bottle cell 220.

The cross section of the bottle cell is here shaped in any desired way.For instance, it may have a round, square or octagonal cross-section.

According to a sixth embodiment (not shown) of the disclosure the websabut on the side surfaces of the bottle cell.

FIGS. 3 and 4 show a seventh embodiment of the bottle cell according tothe disclosure. The webs 310 extend continuously from the head-sided end321 of the bottle cell 320 to the end 322 of the bottle cell 320provided at the bottle-receiving side. In this embodiment the webs 310abut on the side surfaces of the bottle cell. FIG. 3 further shows afastening means 311. The fastening means 311 is configured such that theends of the webs on the bottle receiving side of the bottle cell form agroove, so that the end of the web grips around the bottle cell from theinside to the outside and the bottle receiving edge of the bottle cellis slid into the groove, respectively.

FIG. 4 is a top view on the bottle receiving side 422 of the embodimentaccording to FIG. 3. In FIG. 4 four webs 410 are shown that are arrangedsuch that the bottle 430 is kept away by the webs 410 from the metal ofthe bottle cell 420.

As an alternative thereto and by analogy with the fifth embodiment, thewebs may also be provided at a distance from the side surface of thebottle cell 320.

Number, distribution and position of the webs can each time be adaptedto the cross section of the bottle cell. It must just be ensured in thisinstance that a bottle which can move within the bottle cell gets onlyinto contact with the webs and does not get into contact with the bottlecell.

FIG. 5 is a schematic illustration of a lining according to an eightembodiment comprising at least three webs 510 and a fastening means 511.The fastening means 511 may be provided on one or several webs. With thehelp of the fastening means 511 the lining can be fastened to the end ofthe bottle cell at the bottle receiving side.

The fastening means 511 is configured such that the ends of the webs atthe bottle receiving side of the bottle cell form a groove, so that theend of the web grips around the bottle cell from the inside to theoutside and the bottle receiving edge of the bottle cell is slid intothe groove, respectively. This creates a form closure through which thewebs 510 extended from the head-sided end of the bottle cell to thebottle receiving side of the bottle cell can be prestressed. Theprestressed webs are then more robust with respect to pressure loads andcan then no longer be flexed. This increases the stability of the websand thus that of the lining on the one hand and the webs cannot break onthe other hand.

One or more of the at least three webs are fixed according to a ninthembodiment of the disclosure such that a movement of the one web or ofthe plurality of webs along the bottle receiving edge is suppressed. Asshown in FIG. 6, the fastening means 611 is provided for this purposewith a projection 612 which engages into a notch 623 matching saidprojection on the end 622 of the bottle cell 620 provided at the bottlereceiving side.

1. A bottle cell of metal for use in a bottle cleaning apparatus,comprising a lining.
 2. The bottle cell according to claim 1, whereinthe lining is permanently fastened in the bottle cell.
 3. The bottlecell according to claim 1, wherein the lining is removably fastened inthe bottle cell.
 4. The bottle cell according to claim 1, wherein thelining is configured such that the bottle cell is lined all over thesurface in the interior of the cell.
 5. The bottle cell according toclaim 1, wherein the lining is configured such that it comprises atleast three webs that are provided such that they extend in the bottlecell in the longitudinal direction thereof.
 6. The bottle cell accordingto claim 5, wherein the at least three webs are provided such that theyare positioned in the bottle cell on a side surface thereof.
 7. Thebottle cell according to claim 5, wherein the at least three webs areprovided such that they extend over the whole longitudinal direction ofthe bottle cell.
 8. The bottle cell according to claim 7, wherein afastening means is provided on at least one of the webs for fasteningthe lining to an end of the bottle cell provided at the bottle receivingside.
 9. The bottle cell according to claim 8, wherein a fastening meansis provided on each of the webs for fastening the lining to the end ofthe bottle cell provided at the bottle receiving side.
 10. The bottlecell according to claim 8, wherein the fastening means is provided suchthat the at least three webs can be prestressed from a head-sided end ofthe bottle cell up to the end of the bottle cell provided at the bottlereceiving side.
 11. The bottle cell according to claim 8 claims 8 to 10,wherein the bottle cells on their end provided at the bottle receivingside comprise at least one notch which is adapted to receive aprojection.
 12. The bottle cell according to claim 11, wherein theprojection which is adapted to engage into the notch on the end of thebottle cell provided at the bottle receiving side is formed on thefastening means on the at least one of the webs.
 13. The bottle cellaccording to claim 1, wherein the lining is made of plastics.